The coop

If you are unsure you will keep chickens in the long term, you could get a cheap coop to start with. Otherwise buy or make something that will last many years, e.g. [1]. A coop with 1.4 metre sides (2 sqm of floor) is big enough for up to 6 chickens (at least 0.30 sqm per bird) [2] (regulations allow hens to be kept at much higher densities—0.06 sqm per bird—but this commercial-type density is hardly recommended for your backyard chooks). A perch (90 × 35 stud) is placed about 1.0 metre from the floor and about 0.7 metre from the back. Without a stair-board it should be lower at about 0.7 metres. During part of the day I let the chickens roam in the backyard. However, chickens are destructive to a garden so if this is a problem you need to confine them to an outdoor run [3]. This should have at least the same floor space as the coop and be fully enclosed to prevent entry of pigeons, doves and other birds. It is helpful to overlay the run with a thick layer (10 cm) of red gum wood chips, although it won't be long before the hens dig it all up. This area does not need cleaning because the rain washes poop into the soil. Otherwise the hose can be used. Design the coop so that the food, water and nest boxes don't take up valuable internal space and can't be soiled. The hens generally lay in the same nest box, therefore having one or two larger nest boxes, rather than more smaller ones, allows for communal laying and a shorter queue.
    Foxes live in urban Melbourne so it is important your coop is fox-proof. Given what is required for fox-proofing, clearly a cheap coop will not be adequate. However, depending on where you live you could get away with a flimsy coop for quite a while. Many people are reluctant to keep chickens after they have experienced fox attacks.

Floor litter

Pine woodshavings perform well as a substrate, but an even better although more costly product is Mini-Hemp (Ozhemp)—or similar, which is more absorbent (and also good for compost). It is preferable to have a wood floor, e.g. Structaflor, because a dirt floor provides a route for vermin and can get damp. To start the litter, add at least 5 cm of shavings to the floor. I deposit half of a 14 kg pack of woodshavings to 2 sqm of floor. Each day mix the shavings and incoming poop together with a 3-pronged cultivator. When the shavings and poop are in approximately equal amounts, which takes about 4-6 weeks (for 5 hens), you can (1) start again from scratch—shovel the litter directly into your green bin without bagging it, or (2) add new shavings to the existing litter to maintain the approximate 1:1 ratio. Most days give the whole thing a quick turn using the cultivator. The poop dries out quickly and crumbles while the shavings act as a substrate. Indeed, it’s virtually impossible to see any fresh poop on the litter because of the speed of incorporation. This system is virtually no work except for the quick daily turn with the cultivator, and no smell. The whole thing is near dry and one homogenous layer, with no insects or mould. In winter it can keep a higher moisture content so could be changed more regularly. If you are using method (2) above, cladding the first 20 cm or more of the coop from the floor with plywood will help contain the litter as it builds in depth. Depending on how deep you can go, the depth can be lowered by taking some out at any time. After one year it should all be removed and restarted. These systems are sometimes called ‘deep-litter’.

Replacing hens

To optimize the supply of eggs it’s best to replace the hens after two seasons of laying, when they are about two years old. For social harmony replace them all at the same time. Bringing in new point-of-lay hens while you have older stock can be done but is best avoided if possible. The older hens will bully the younger ones on introduction, and this can be severe. If your older hens are particularly aggressive it can take a month or more for things to settle down. Don't introduce a single hen because it will be the focus of all the aggression—bring in at least two so they can share the brunt.

The Melbourne Scorchers

Temperatures above 33°C are tough on hens [4]. One reason my coop is tall and open at the front is because it doesn’t allow too much heat build-up. There is shade cloth fixed to part of the front to shield the sun. This has the added benefit of blocking night-light from the neighbours. However on days hotter than 35°C even this coop can get too hot. On such days you could saturate the run area with water. The evaporation has a cooling effect and the chooks can dig in to keep cool. Otherwise you could let the hens outside so they can find some breeze and shade under a shrub, ensuring there is cool water (tap temperature) and food in the immediate vicinity.

Going away?

A high capacity feeder and drinker is useful when you go away for several days. For the drinker, the drum-nipple type is ideal. I have yet to see a suitable complete set-up you can buy off-the-shelf. This is because suboptimally, either push-in nipples or cups are installed. The former may come out if knocked heavily by a hen, causing complete loss of water from the drum—a disaster if you are away. The latter are not as clean as nipples, and also could be push-in. Therefore you might like to configure a set-up yourself: instructions download. Set drinker-nipples at 45 cm above floor level for a standard chook, e.g. Hy-Line. My Hy-Lines or Lohmanns, acquired at point-of-lay from Casaccio, take to the nipples immediately. Perhaps they were raised on nipples, or they are just clever. Even if there is enough food and water to last the duration of your time away, ensure a neighbour or friend checks the coop on a regular basis to make sure all is in order.

Euthanasia

There are several ways euthanasia is performed, including (1) cervical dislocation or neck-breaking [5,6]. This is performed manually, or with the Humane Poultry Killer (Morrigan Farm, Australia)—a device mounted to a post, (2) captive-bolt [6], e.g. with the Stunning Apparatus for small animals (Friedrich Dick, Germany)—dubbed the Ballista, in conjunction with a killing cone, and (3) exposure to an oxygen-deprived (anoxic) environment. This is possibly the most humane method—and the easiest if you are hesitant about the fist two methods. Argon or nitrogen is preferred over carbon-dioxide because the latter invokes an adverse response in the chicken [6-8]. Argon is heavier than air and therefore may be easier to contain than nitrogen which is lighter than air. There will be some outlay in acquiring a cylinder and regulator, and the refills. Argon is ~20% costlier than nitrogen for a refill (size-D cylinder) but is more readily available. For example, it can be purchased from Bunnings Warehouse involving a one-time deposit on the cylinder—refunded when returning the empty cylinder. Other items required are a container, e.g. 20 L pail with lid, with notch cut at lip for entry of tubing [8]. Only perform the procedure in a well ventilated area. If inexperienced in euthanasia you should first seek assistance and training [9].

1. Building the poultry penthouse, Bolla G & Rees B (2007), NSW Department of Primary Industries.
2. Housing and space guidelines for livestock, Seavey D & Porter J, updated by Perkins D (2017), University of New Hampshire Extension.
3. The power of chook, Very Edible Gardens.
4. Understanding heat stress in layers | Management (2016), Hy-Line Technical Resources.
5. Euthanasia for backyard birds, Petrik M (2017), mikethechickenvet.
6. Practical guidelines for on-farm euthanasia of poultry (2016), Poultry Industry Council, Canada.
7. Gas killing of chickens and turkeys (2005), Humane Slaughter Association, UK.
8. Chicken euthanasia: when & how to help your bird pass on (2020), Adler E & Pitesky M.
9. Who should humanely kill my backyard chickens when needed? (2020), Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Australia.